Breakdown services
Breakdown services can be expensive to use and the different levels of cover can be confusing. Here’s all you need to know if you get stranded on the side of the road
All you need to know about getting cover
WHAT PRICE WOULD you put on peace of mind? If that peace of mind is the reassurance that a knight in a shiny van will come to your rescue if your car breaks down and leaves you stranded at the roadside on a wet, wintry evening, the likelihood is that you’re paying too high a price for it.
That’s because many people automatically renew their car breakdown cover without shopping around or demanding a cheaper price from their provider. Like car insurance companies, breakdown providers often offer a cheaper rate to entice new customers and then hike the price the following year. So you could pay £120 for the first year’s cover but £200 for the next 12 months.
It’s also worth noting that although you can pay monthly for cover, there is a premium for this, so paying annually offers the best value.
WHAT LEVEL OF COVER DO YOU NEED?
When you’re renewing your cover, it’s worth checking whether it’s the best type for you.
First of all, you need to decide if you want cover for your current car only or for when you’re driving any car. The former is generally cheaper, so if you don’t switch cars too often, it’ll be the better option.
Next, pick the level of cover that suits you best. The cheapest option might be to get limited cover for just a single annual breakdown; for example, the AA offers this for £32. This should be fine for a newer car that’s unlikely to go wrong, but if your vehicle is older and less reliable, you’re likely to end up paying out far more overall. With the AA policy above, there’s a fee of £99 for each subsequent callout. The AA’S single-car cover looks to be better value, because it costs £7 more for a year and includes member benefits such as discounts at selected eateries and service stations.
There are also ‘pay and claim’ policies. As the name suggests, you’ll pay for any callouts you make, including the cost of recovering your car, and then claim it back from the breakdown provider.
While these policies are often cheaper than standard breakdown cover, they are less convenient. If you don’t want to pay for the repairs and recovery up front, or you’re not good with paperwork, this type of cover won’t be for you.
MAIN LEVELS OF COVER
There are three main levels of standard breakdown cover:
● Roadside assistance: This will get your car fixed if it breaks down when you’re away from home. If the car can’t be fixed, it’ll be taken to a nearby garage for repairs. This type of cover doesn’t include home breakdowns. Some policies stipulate that the car must be more than a quarter of a mile from your home.
● Breakdown recovery: As well as sending a patrol to fix your car, you and your passengers will be taken to a destination of your choice in the UK.
● Home start: This covers your car if it breaks down before you’ve left home. Some policies include car hire, overnight accommodation and the cost of pubic transport if the car cannot be fixed straight away.
ADDING EXTRA COVER
There are other levels of cover that allow you to tailor the policy to your needs, including European cover, which we’d recommend if you ever venture across the Channel. If your car breaks down while you’re outside the UK, getting it fixed or transported home can be prohibitively expensive.
If you’re making only one European trip, you can add cover for that for as little as
£7 with the AA; alternatively, you can add multi-trip cover for around £110. There are lots of conditions with this cover, though, so it’s important that you check the small print before choosing a policy to ensure it covers your needs adequately.
Add-ons, such as key cover, could be worthwhile if you’re prone to misplacing things. The RAC lets you add this to its cheapest vehicle cover for £24 a year. If your car keys are lost, stolen or broken, they’ll be replaced along with the car’s locks, while the alarm and immobiliser will be reset. The annual limit for claiming on this is £1500.
If you have an older or higher-mileage car, you might want to add cover for any repairs that are required to fix the car after a breakdown. For a small hatchback, it costs £70-£80 to add parts and garage cover to an AA or RAC policy, and this provides £500-£750 worth of cover per breakdown. Although this is cheaper than what you’d pay for an aftermarket warranty on a small hatch, it’s worth remembering that it only covers post-breakdown work, not pre-existing faults with your car.
MULTI-PERSON PACKAGES
Buying one policy that covers you and your partner or your whole family can work out cheaper than getting separate covers. Adding a second person to an AA or RAC ‘any vehicle’ policy, for example, costs around £25, which is less than half the cost of individual cover. Covering a family of four on one policy is good value, too, costing only around £60 more than cover for one person to drive any car.
WHAT’S NOT INCLUDED?
Around 150,000 people put the wrong fuel in their cars every year in the UK, so it’s worth checking if this is covered by your policy. Higher-end breakdown cover policies often include this, but many don’t, meaning you’ll either be charged an extra fee to add it to a policy or you’ll be asked to pay a misfuelling callout fee. While some companies offer a substantial discount to members on the misfuelling callout fee, which can exceed £100, it’s worth shopping around with independent specialists, because many try to beat competitors’ quoted prices.
Although it might seem tedious, it’s also worth reading the terms and conditions of your breakdown cover so that you know whether there are any other exclusions.
‘It’s important to check the small print to ensure a policy covers your needs’